Context

Radiation can be subdivided into two categories:

• Ionising
• Non-ionising

Both types of radiation have an effect on human tissue. Knowledge of the effects of ionising radiation exposure and how medical personnel should respond is useful, and has also become more topical given the raised awareness of potential terrorist attacks.

Despite heightened media interest, radiation exposure accidents on a large scale are extremely rare.

The number of recorded deaths from unintentional radiation incidents, such as the Chernobyl disaster, is 134 deaths in 420 incidents between 1944 and 2002. Small-scale accidents also occur with industrial, diagnostic and therapeutic application of radiation and in the storage of spent devices.

Deaths from intentional radiation exposure incidents, such as the bombing of Hiroshima, are obviously much higher. The most likely form of radiation incident encountered will be from a terrorist ‘dirty bomb’ or an industrial accident.